Monster Madness: Mutants, Space Invaders, and Drive-Ins

Part two of a multi-part series with distinguished actors, directors, writers, composers, and special effects mavens examining the history of the horror, fantasy, and science fiction films from the groundbreaking silent 1920s through the Golden Age of Universal, the Silver Age of Hammer and up through the 1980s and beyond. Mutants, Space Invaders and Drive-Ins takes you into the 1950s and the Golden Age of Sci-Fi films.

Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film

Part one of a multi-part series with distinguished actors, directors, writers, composers, and special effects mavens examining the history of the horror, fantasy, and science fiction films from the groundbreaking silent 1920s through the Golden Age of Universal, the Silver Age of Hammer and up through the 1980s and beyond. The Golden Age chapter covers the silent classics of Lon Chaney, to the great Universal Studios monsters of the 30s and 40s.

Seventeenth-century England, and a plough uncovers a grisly skull in the furrows of a farmer's field. The skull disappears, but its malefic influence begins to work in insidious ways upon the nearby village of Hexbridge. First, the cows stop milking and the fruit turns rotten on the trees. Then, an insolent ungodliness takes hold of the local children, mysterious fur patches appear on limbs and people start disappearing.... Something evil is stirring in the woods.

Film Lover says:"Folk Horror at it's best. A stellar adaptation."

Publisher's Summary

Part three of a multi-part series with distinguished actors, directors, writers, composers, and special effects mavens examining the history of the horror, fantasy, and science fiction films from the groundbreaking silent 1920s through the Golden Age of Universal, the Silver Age of Hammer and up through the 1980s and beyond. The popularity of the Drive-In Theater peaked in the '60s with over 4000 in operation across the U.S. Samuel Z. Arkoff, Roger Corman, and others made films like I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Reform School Girl and Teenage Caveman specifically for teens at the Drive-In Movie Theater. In the same time frame, Hammer Films became known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-'50s until the '70s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, Film noir, comedies and in later years, television series. Hammer made stylized movies utilizing quality British actors and cleverly designed sets. During its most successful years, Hammer dominated the horror film market worldwide.